Despite growing criticism over athlete pay, the Olympics is creating opportunities through a broadcast training scheme.
The Olympic Broadcasting Services is offering athletes a new career path, with its Broadcast Training Programme, creating paid roles behind the camera at Milano Cortina 2026.
The programme, part of OBS’s legacy initiatives, provides Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes the chance to train for broadcast operations.
First launched for local students, it was expanded at Paris 2024 to include athletes, with 22 joining the broadcast team. For the upcoming Winter Games, up to 30 athletes will be hired after two days of training in Milan, where they learn everything from technical operations to venue liaison work.
Roles on offer within the programme include Liaison Officers, who support broadcasters at competition venues and arrange interviews, and Events Officers, who work inside the International Broadcast Centre to assist media and VIP guests.
Two-time US Olympic rower Grace Luczak, said: “Learning about the technical side, the artistry of the people who pull together the magic that is the Olympic Games… it really opened my eyes to all of the opportunities behind the camera at the Games.”
Pay remains a talking point
The initiative comes as the Olympic movement faces growing scrutiny over how athletes are paid. The Enhanced Games, an organisation which allows competitors to take performance-enhancing drugs, has been vocal in criticising the IOC for failing to compensate athletes, positioning itself as a rival built on financial reward.
Aaron D’Souza, President and Founder of the Enhanced Games, told Insider Sport earlier this year that Olympic athletes are undervalued compared with executives and stars in other leagues.
“The average US Olympian only earns $30,000 a year and that’s really unfortunate,” he said.
“It’s okay if the head of UEFA or FIFA has a private jet because Ronaldo has one,” he argued. “But I think it’s intrinsically wrong that sports bureaucrats in the Olympic system are better paid than the athletes. The athletes are the core value creators. Athletes in our system get paid more than me. I’m proud of that. I want our athletes to be rich.”
The issue was also raised at Paris 2024, where World Athletics announced it would award $50,000 to each gold medal winner across its 48 events. The $2.4m prize pot came from its IOC revenue share, setting a precedent that other federations did not follow.
A problem elsewhere
Financial challenges and career uncertainty are not unique to Olympians or Paralympians. Across sport, athletes face short careers and are increasingly looking for ways to prepare for life after retirement.
In football, stars such as Gareth Bale and Juan Mata have turned to investment ventures, while others are building media profiles.
Some athletes are now developing new skills while still playing. England internationals Ella Toone and Alessia Russo, for example, co-host a podcast where they discuss their friendship, life off the pitch and what it’s like inside the England camp.
For Australian rugby sevens gold medallist Alicia Lucas, the Broadcast Training Programme captures this shift.
“I think this opportunity will open so many doors for you and your career,” she said. “I think it’s a really vital thing if you want to stay involved in your sport or in the Olympics.”
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